Coach Geno Auriemma has still got some game left in him, despite being 71 years old. This is evident from the way he coaches all the players at UConn efficiently to become dominant college hoopers and future world champions. But can coach Auriemma still hoop? That’s a question that he answered for himself recently when Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards visited the campus.
In a recent video posted by the Huskies’ Instagram page, coach Auriemma appeared to be guarding Edwards, who was trying to hit a floater from down low. Interestingly, Auriemma’s defense worked, and Edwards missed the floater, which passed by the rim. Next, it was his turn to hit a bucket, and the 12x Natty winning coach did so in the classiest manner possible.
While Edwards anticipated coach Auriemma to turn towards the baseline and attempt to shoot or float the ball, he surprised everyone by hitting a no-look basket from behind. Well, the good old coach still seems to have a great bag of skills, which fans got a rare chance to witness recently.
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It’s not like Auriemma has never played basketball. After moving from Italy at the age of 7, the UConn Huskies coach used to play high school basketball in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He also played college basketball for West Chester University, graduating in 1977. However, his knack was always for coaching.
Auriemma’s early coaching career began as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s University, where he worked in 1978 and 1979. He also started coaching the women’s basketball team at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, PA, and served as an assistant coach at his former high school, Bishop Kenrick, as well. His first tryst with Division I basketball began as an assistant coach at the University of Virginia, before assuming a head coaching role for the Huskies in 1985. Since then, the rest’s been history.
Geno Auriemma Hails Sue Bird as the Greatest Point Guard in History
Sue Bird, considered one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the sport, recently had her No. 10 UConn jersey up in the rafters of the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. A Naismith Hall of Famer and four-time WNBA champion, this honor was long overdue for Bird. Amid all these celebrations, coach Geno Auriemma hailed Bird as “the greatest point guard in the history of basketball, men’s or women’s.”
Auriemma is not known for showering his players with such adoration. Bird, who is also a two-time NCAA champion with UConn, joked:
“You’ve never said that before, in front of me.”
“The greatest point guard ever in the history of basketball, men’s or women’s.”
Geno Auriemma on Sue Bird at her jersey retirement ceremony at UConn ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nV4Er2Ey8I
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 7, 2025
Well, that was definitely worth the praise that Sue Bird always deserved coming from Auriemma. She is a 13-time All-Star, four-time world champion, and 5x Olympic gold medallist, a rare feat only a few can boast in the game.
Besides Bird, Auriemma has also coached Diana Taurasi, who won three titles with the Huskies and became the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer. Bird and Taurasi’s backcourt duo in 2001 and 2002 was one of the most dominant ones in the history of women’s college hoops.
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